Creationalism v evolution - does it matter?

[IPbrown]

Hello,

I am Christian who believes in evolution and I enjoys debating this matter. However I don't believe it really matters which camp (creationalists or evolutionists) is right so long as we all come to the same important conclusions - that God created everything, sent his son to earth, his son died and was risen to life to save us from our sin, etc - and that we live our lives accordingly.

So although the debate is interesting as surely the two different theories cannot both be true, the actual "answer" does not matter to much and is just a point of interest.

Does anyone agree/disagree?
Islax

 

[CACTUSJACKmankin]

You don't think it matters how you got here? To me it also matters because creationism is a public attack on science, and as a biology major i resent that. They confuse the public as to what is and is not the subject of serious scientific debate, on what evolution does and doesn't claim, and as to what science and scientific theories are. This isn't a scientific debate it is a socio-political debate with ramifications on how the public views science. If we in the US want to remain the world leader in science and technology we need to have a public that is informed and fascinated by science.

 

[Firefly2002]

I'd have to agree with Cactus. I'm an atheist, so perhaps that's why... but I believe that truth is very, very important. If we can't understand fundamental scientific ideas such as evolution, what hope is there for us, really? We are already a nation of scientific illiterates.

Kind of reminds me of the saying... "It is morally as bad not to care whether a thing is true or not, so long as it makes you feel good, as it is to have your money and not care where it came from so long as you have it."

 

[Nithavela]

If somone wouldn't think that this question is important, I don't think he would be here. This is maybe the one thing everyone here agrees, it IS important.

 

[Valkhorn]

It is EXTREMELY important. I do not want children to be exposed to lies as science. I also don't want people to teach any religion as if it were science because it is not.

Would it matter if people taught that we may not have gone to the moon? Yes. And you bet your sweet bippy if someone was trying to teach that there wasn't a holocaust or that some people (like Iran) feels there wasn't you might actually lead children to believe there wasn't.

Even if you just teach the facts and let the children decide, there is really no other conclusion one can come up with because the evidence is pretty overwhelming - just as it is with us going to the moon or that unfortunately the holocaust happened.

 

[sbvera13]

I voted no. The reason is that the "answer" does not matter; it is how we treat the subject that matters. I agree that religion, and thus creationism, should not be taught in public schools, and thats really the driving force behind the debate. Creationists don't want to prove they're right, they just want to spread their beliefs to everyone else and will use any means they can to do that. Thus they try to convince people that they are right, resorting to lies and trying to invade the public school system.

The issue is that if they succeed they will cause severe damage to the education system of this country. In order to sneak their religious ideas into science class, ID advocates are trying to get the very definition of science changed. They also try to creat a false dichotomy between faith and science- that you can have one but not both. This is an outright lie, and if taught to our children, will have serious economic consequences for America as our supply of educated engineers, scientists, and other educated professionals dwindles.

This makes the debate itself extremely important, although which belief any given person holds may not be. You have every right to believe and live as you wish. And so do I. What is important is that we do not let the fundamentalist agenda take over our education system, so that all people's freedoms can be preserved, not merely the freedom of christians.

 

[FishFace]

Voted Yes, because one is correct, and the other isn't. Finding the truth is what philosophy is about, and science is all about finding the truth and doing something useful with it. It's plainly obvious that although sometimes, we flukily succeed with falsehood, the truth is vastly easier to use.

Not only that, but creationism is an attack on the separation of the church and the state, since it is requesting special access to the school system by virtue of being christian, and it is also an attack on science in general. Weakening either of these two things is a Very Bad Thing.

The OP, as a theist, may believe that better things are waiting for him after he dies, a belief I find quite sad. Since all we have is there here-and-now, though, we'd best get it right.

 

[metherion]

I don't think the answer (or the question for that matter) is as important as it is made out to be. After all, Jesus told us to believe in Him. He didn't tell us that if we didn't believe in a literal rendition of: a book compiled or Jewish Holy texts, accounts of His life, and letters from His followers written within 80 years of his death that we would go to Hell.

I do think it is important the evolution win the debate, though, because as other posters have said, creationism is not science and should not be propogated as such.

Metherion

 

[Baggins]

You don't think it matters how you got here? To me it also matters because creationism is a public attack on science, and as a biology major i resent that. They confuse the public as to what is and is not the subject of serious scientific debate, on what evolution does and doesn't claim, and as to what science and scientific theories are. This isn't a scientific debate it is a socio-political debate with ramifications on how the public views science. If we in the US want to remain the world leader in science and technology we need to have a public that is informed and fascinated by science.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to CACTUSJACKmankin again.

You really do write very eloquently.

This is the most succinct summation of the what is happening today that I can remember seeing.

It is indeed a socio-political debate and not a scientific debate

 

[IPbrown]

Hello,
I think I probably posted this thread on the wrong forum as I was intending to debate about the importance (or lack of importance) of the answer to the evolution/creationalism debate to christians rather than to society as a whole and the vast majority of people who have posted their answers are athiest.

I was unaware that teaching atheism in schools seems such a big issue, here (Britain) it is almost unheard of and the issue of what our children believe doesn't seem all that relevent near me as I only know possibly 2 young people who believe in creationalism and that is because they go to extra lessons at a local evangelical free church.

So to return to the original question, within christianity should it matter what the correct answer is to the creationism/evolution debate?

 

[Maynard Keenan]

I don't think it is important what an individual believes. I think it is important which view dominates public discourse and public policy.